Among The Angels
by NatashaGill
Summary: CHAPTER 8 IS UP! John Cena&Natasha Randy&Jasmine Steph&Jay ... Please R
1. Chapter 1

**Among the Angels**

**Chapter 1**

Dear God, why is everything in my life going so terribly wrong? Why does it feel like everyone around me is getting everything they want and all I get is more misery. I mean, I do love John, I really do. But sometimes, sometimes I just regret even marrying him.

Last night John and I had had another one of our stupid fights. It started with my asking him who he had been out with that evening. It was the fourth time this week he had gone out after work. I also asked him why he didn't answer his phone. He just mumbled and walked into the kitchen. He always did this, he never wanted to talk to me or just tell me what was wrong. This wasn't our first argument and if I knew John, he'd get pretty heated if I kept bothering him. So I just left him alone and let him watch television with a beer in his hand. I went to my bedroom and sat on my side of the bed. I didn't know what to do, our marriage was falling apart before my eyes and I couldn't and didn't know how to save it. Was there any use in saving it? Yes, of course there was. Because even through all the fighting and yelling, me and John were a team. We were together through everything and one day we would be happy being married.

As I lay on my bed, I saw the picture of John and myself on our wedding day. Just moments after we were pronounced husband and wife. We looked so happy, that was just hours before we went our honeymoon to Aruba. I cried everytime I saw that picture and today was no exception. As I thought to myself about why I had wanted to marry John right away, I heard John switch off the television. I wiped my face incase he was coming to the bedroom and sat up. I waited but I didn't hear anything so I went outside to check what happened to him. I went out to the living room and saw that he had fallen asleep infront of the tv. He looked so peaceful and cute, he looked like the John I fell in love with. Not the one that argues with me and lies to me. Not the one that comes home at late hours of the night smelling like alcohol and smoke. I went over and put the blanket over him. Then I bent down and kissed his forehead, turned off the light and went to bed.

When I awoke the next morning I was surprised to see John lying next to me. I watched him breathe in and out for a few seconds and then got up to start making breakfast. Last night before I went to bed I had decided that I was no longer going to be the way I was and I was going to make John feel like I was his wife, not his mother. Instead of demanding to know where he was I wouldn't bother, I just wouldn't ask him. So I tucked him in and kissed his cheek and then went into the bathroom. When I got out, I slipped into my robe and went into the kitchen. It was about 10:00 am and I knew John would be getting up within the next hour or so. I called Steph's cell to see what she was doing, although I knew she was at the gym because after she dropped off her 5 year old son Robbie at kindergarten, she always headed to the gym.

I had also called to see if she was ready to go out tonight. It was the second Friday of the month and that meant only one thing - Ladies' Night. Around this time every month, Steph, Jasmine and I got together for shopping trips, movies, drinks, manicures, tennis and dinner. The three of us would spend an entire day leaving the boys to fend for themselves. We agreed to meet at her place around 6:30 and let John know that Jay was having the boys over for Poker night. As soon as we were done, I called Jasmine to let her know what time to meet us. She was out somewhere so I just left a message on her machine. I finished making breakfast by this time and I had already heard John getting up out of bed. I had made waffles, toast, bacon and poured his orange juice by the time he got up and came to the kitchen. He always looked so cute when he woke up, his hair was kinda messy and he was rubbing his eyes and yawning. I couldn't decide if we were on good terms or bad terms, but I soon found out my answer.

I had started washing the dishes when he came in, and when he noticed all the food on the table, he came up right behind me. So close I could smell the toothpaste on his breath. He came down and kissed my ear and then my cheek. _"You didn't have to do this all on your own, you know I would've helped you."_ And that was all I needed from him to get my answer. He quickly changed from my drunk, loud, irrational husband to the sweet, loveable, appreciative man I fell in love with.

As we sat down to eat, I was feeling alot better about our relationship. I knew we still weren't on the best terms, but we were past the anger and fighting. John read the newspaper while he ate, he always did. But today, even though I had laid it out for him, just the way he wanted it he didn't even touch it. Instead, he talked to me. It had been weeks since we had actually talked to each other without yelling, fighting or crying. After taking a deep breath, John finally let me know where he was last night.

He had been arrested for assaulting a man at a local bar while having a few beers with his friend, Randy. A few girls that were sitting at a nearby table had spotted the two and came over for a couple autographs. Unfortunately, their boyfriends had also came and thought John and Randy were doing something more than just signing napkins. Things got out of hand and John had hit the guy over the head with his beer bottle. The guy started bleeding and someone had called the cops, since the other guy was bleeding John was arrested, even though the other guy threw the first punch. Randy had went down to the police station with John to try and clear things up with the cops but they didn't listen to him. After what seemed like hours and hours of persuasion, the cops finally let John go with a warning. John hadn't been drinking very much but because he hit the guy with his bottle, beer had spilled all over his clothes.

As he told me this, I didn't know what to say. I felt horrible for being so demanding and pushy. He explained that last night he just didn't know how to tell me all this and because I looked upset already, he didn't want to upset me even more. He just wanted the night to be over so he could put it behind him. He had also purposely fallen asleep on the couch so that I would come and tuck him in, then go to bed. He didn't think it was right if he went to bed with me while I was upset so he waited till I was fast asleep till he lay down next to me. I put down my orange juice and went over to John. I sat down on his lap, hugged him and just cried. I didn't know what else to do, here I was wondering if me and John were strong enough to handle marriage, yet he's already doing everything he can to make sure we stay together. How could I have ever doubted my husband?

Just as I wiped my tears off my face, the phone rang. It was Randy calling to see how John was after last night. I assured him John was fine, and that it was very nice of him to call and ask. I told him that John had told me what happened last night and he said that was good, because he was also calling to remind John that he had promised to tell me. He asked to speak to John so I handed him the phone and cleared the dishes from the table. As they talked, I cleaned up everything and went to have a shower. So far this was shaping up to be a pretty good day...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Over at Jasmine's, she was just getting ready to go out shopping. She had gotten my message and had decided she would go out and buy a new outfit for tonight. She also knew that Jay's good friend Randy would be there for the poker game, so she wanted to get something to grab his attention. She had first met him at mine and John's wedding and several times after that since he was both friends with Jay and John. They had gone out together a couple times but that was usually with someone else, and since Randy didn't know about Jasmine's feelings he hadn't asked her out. She wanted him to notice her tonight before she went out with Steph and me.

It was just after 11 when she left for the mall, she had called me back and invited me to come and help her choose something to wear. I agreed to come so Jasmine was going to pick me up and then head to the mall. When she picked me up, she asked how things were with John since she knew that we were having some problems. I didn't feel ready to tell everyone about John's arrest the night before, so I just said that everything was fine. Jasmine, being one of my best friends, knew that when I said 'fine' it meant something was going on. But as one of my best friend, she also knew that if you put your nose into my business at the wrong time, you got snapped at.

When we got to the mall, I made Jasmine try on everything that she possibly could. Every dress, skirt and pair of jeans that we could find. The three of us were only going out for drinks and dinner. After three hours of looking around, Jasmine finally saw the dress that she had been looking for. It was in the window of a little boutique called Zara, and it was exactly what Jasmine wanted. It was a low cut, black halter top dress that flared out just slightly at the knees. She ran inside to try it on with me following close behind her. There were just two sizes left and luckily, there was a five. Jasmine went into the dressing room and when she came out, I couldn't believe how great the dress looked. It fitted her perfectly and fortunately, it was on sale. After several minutes of looking at herself in the mirror, she finally bought it.

We spent another hour looking for matching shoes, a purse and any other little accessories like jewelry. By this time it was nearly 5:30 and we both needed to be getting home. When they arrived at my place, Jasmine thanked me for coming and asked once more if I was sure that Randy would like the dress. I winked and for the 17th time, assured her that he would. I laughed and hugged my friend goodbye, then went into my house.

I called out for John but didn't hear him reply back, so I went up the stairs and called for him again. Still nothing, I walked into the kitchen and found a note on the fridge. It was from John and said that he had gone over to Randy's. I didn't know why he went over to Randy's early, but I assumed it was probably why Randy had called earlier that morning. I ran around the apartment cleaning up and checked my answering machine messages.

There were only three and two were from Steph. The first was reminding me to bring her white sweater back and the second was asking where I was. She had been calling my cellphone all day but I had left it at home when I went out with Jasmine. The third one was from Randy. It was something I wasn't expecting and I was completely taken away by it. He was calling to ask if it was all right with me if he asked out my friend Jasmine. This was funny because here she was trying to get his attention and now he's calling to get her attention. Not that Randy Orton needed any help getting a woman's attention, he was handsome and usually had quite a few women after him. Laughing, I turned off the machine and went to get ready to go to Steph's since it was now just after 6:00. I had also called Randy back and let him know that I thought it was a great idea that he take out Jasmine, he was thrilled. After we hung up, I started getting dressed.

I didn't wanna wear a fancy dress and shoes like Jasmine because I didn't really have anyone to impress. We would only be spending about 10 minutes at Steph's and then be leaving for the restaurant. I put on a black skirt with a red sweater underneath my leather jacket. I wanted to wear the new boots I had bought last week so I pulled them out of the box and zipped them on. I had already put my make up on when I went to the mall, so I just re-applied my lipstick and brushed my hair. Spraying my perfume on, I grabbed Steph's sweater, my purse, cell phone and keys. Locking the door on my way out, I got into my car and left for Steph's house.

When I got there, I saw that Steph was running around picking up toys and books of Robbie's. He was whining that it wasn't fair that Mommy got to go out and he had to go to bed. He wondered why he couldn't go with her. I could see Steph was getting a little annoyed at him for asking so many questions so I picked him upand carried him over to the sofa. Robbie and I had a pretty good relationship, ever since he came over and I had to look after him when Steph and Jay went to Cuba for their 2 year anniversary. I spoiled him so much during that week, and ever since then we've had a good relationship. While Steph cleaned up, I saw Jay come down the stairs looking quite handsome. I asked him why he was so dressed up for a bunch of guys coming over to play poker and he said that Randy had volunteered to take them all out for drinks at Botanica, a local night club, instead of poker. That's why John was over there, along with a couple other guys, Jay would be going over there soon.

He grabbed his keys and went looking for his jacket. Before he left for his car, I teased him by asking if the three of us could join the boys at the club later that night. In a very manly voice, he said we could, but it'd be alot more guys than gals and we would probably be bored. I insisted that we were three women who didn't mind a club full of men, and he just laughed. He said that if we wanted to join them, we were welcome to. Well I didn't want to pass up a great opportunity so I told him to look for us later on that night. He agreed and left for Randy's.

When Steph finally came back downstairs, I saw she was wearing a similar dress like Jasmine's but it was a deep red. She had a phone to her ear and even more toys in her hands, she was talking to the babysitter. When she hung up, I told her about my idea to go out with the guys and she thought it was a great idea. Why not go see what the guys really talk about when we women arent there? We both agreed we wouldn't show up till about 10:00 because we knew that's what time they would get in and order drinks. When Jasmine got there, we told her about our plan and she loved it. Then of course, she loved anything that involved her getting closer to Randy. That's when I remembered his message, and laughed out loud. We grabbed our coats and all got into Steph's car, by this time the babysitter had arrived to watch Robbie and we could finally leave.

On the way to the restaurant, Steph asked how things were going with John and this time I couldn't change the subject. I broke down and told her and Jasmine everything that happened in the past couple of weeks. All we did was fight and yell at each other. We went days without speaking to one another and little things turned into huge things. I told them about John getting arrested the night before and how everything was going pretty well now but I didn't know how long it would be until our next fight. They listened until I was finished and finally Steph assured me that everything would work itself out. She told me that things with Jay in the beginning had been the same way, it felt like it would never stop. But eventually, they learnt to work together instead of against each other and now they're so happy together.The whole time Steph was holding my hand and driving, pressing it for comfort. She also reminded me that the first year of marriage has to be hard because it creates foundation for the coming ones.

We pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and went inside. I was feeling alot better now that my friends knew what was going on and not feeling as if I had this huge secret on my shoulders. When we sat down to eat, Steph was telling us how Robbie had just gotten over a terrible cold. He had been coughing, sneezing and sleeping alot for the past couple of days and she had been really worried about him. When the waitress came around, we all ordered drinks and appetizers. Shortly after our drinks arrived, my cell phone rang. Checking the call display before answering it, I saw it was Randy's number. The third phone call today? I answered it and found out he wasn't calling to talk to me. He asked if Jasmine was there and if he could speak to her. I giggled and handed it to her. She didn't know that it was Randy on the other line, so when he spoke she blushed. This big smile spread across her lips and she kept innocently laughing.

When she hung up, she kept smiling and handed me my phone back. Finally me and Steph couldn't take it anymore, we had to know what was going on. I sort of already knew, but I knew Steph didn't know so I played along with her. She told us that Randy had invited the three of us up to the club they were at tonight. He also asked if she was free tomorrow night to go out to dinner with him. She giggled and told us she had agreed to it. We all laughed and hugged her, finally she was going to get to go out with Randy after months of wondering. The rest of the night was spent talking about girly things, household things, relationship things and men things. After we ate, we headed back to Steph's to freshen up and then left for the club. Seeing Jasmine and Randy together was something me and Steph had to see...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

When we got into the club, we couldn't see any of the guys around so we sat down at the bar. The music was really loud so we had to yell in order to talk to each other. After a couple of minutes, Steph decided we should look around incase they sitting in the back somewhere. The three of us walked past the bar and towards the lounging area. Jay, John nor Randy were sitting there but we did see one of Steph's old boyfriends, Kyle. When he saw her, he got up and came over to us. She didn't feel like seeing him so she just pretended she didn't notice he was there and kept walking. He didn't like that she was ignoring him so he followed us. We only got a couple of steps away from him before he grabbed onto Steph and turned her towards him.

He had pulled her in so close to him, she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She was squirming away from him, trying to get free from his grip. He was with a group of guys and they were standing behind him looking down on Jasmine and me. We really didn't want to argue with a bunch of drunk men so we tried to get him to let go of Steph and just go find Jay. At first Kyle was just talking to Steph, asking her how things were and everything. Then he got louder and louder and eventually was yelling at her. When Steph didn't answer him, he started calling her names. This was it for Jasmine, no one calls her friend a slut and gets away with it. She wasn't that much shorter than Kyle so she got right up close in his face. He let go of Steph and she came over towards me. She had a bruise on her arm from where he had been holding her but she was all right.

Kyle didn't like Jasmine so close to him so he backed away but she didn't move. She stood there with an expression of disgust on her face and told him exactly what she thought of him. As she spoke, Kyle and his friends got angrier and angrier. One of his friends called her a whore and she raised her hand to him. She swung back to slap the taste right out of his mouth, but he was quicker than that. He grabbed her hand and pushed her down. So hard she fell on to the dance floor. But just before she hit the ground, she was caught in the arms of someone. Turning around, she saw it was Randy. He picked her up and went towards Kyle.

Knocking the beer bottle out of Kyle's hand, he told him to get out before things got really out of hand. Kyle didn't look too impressed so he just laughed and told Randy to keep his bitches out of his way. By this time, John and Jay had came to see what was happening. As the three men argued with Kyle and his friends, I saw Dave coming over. The boys kept arguing while Dave walked over to us to see what was happening. After standing next to me for a couple of minutes just observing, he stepped in. Dave wasn't exactly a little guy, standing tall at 6'5, he towered over the rest of the guys. After clearing his throat a couple times and no one really stopping to listen, he finally yelled out and got their attention. At first Kyle and his friends just laughed at him but Dave gave them 'that look' and they shut up and walked away, mumbling that they weren't scared of him. That look was one that made you understand when to shut up, listen and sit down. It was a silent look that was done with his eyes and when he gave it to you, you listened.

After they left, Randy lead all of us over to their table. It was a round booth so there was plenty of room to sit down. There were about 12 of us all around the table and everyone had a date. Steph and Jay, John and myself, Randy and Jasmine, Dave and his wife Jen, Adam Copeland and Amy Dumas and finally, Chris Masters and Trish Stratus. Shane, Steph's older brother, along with his wife, Marissa were both at the club that night too, just at another table. When we all sat down, we talked about what had happened with those four guys. Steph told us why he was being so mean to her now, and what had happened to them when they were going out. It turns out, Steph had dated Kyle and Jay at the same time. After a couple months of dating both men, she found she was alot more attracted to Jay so she left Kyle. Well, Kyle was left heartbroken and bitter towards her. He never really got over it and he was still quite angry that he had been dumped by her.

At around midnight, everyone was getting tired so most people were leaving. We all stayed to catch up and hang out. While we were ordering another round of drinks, I noticed Randy had placed his hand on Jasmine's leg and was now whispering things into her ear. She was giggling and as soon as the drinks came, the two of them quickly got up and went into one of the back rooms. Even though John and I were quite involved in each other, I couldn't help but wonder what Jasmine and Randy were up to. I mean, I knew them both quite well and I knew what Randy was capable of. He wasn't the regular kiss on the cheek on the first date kinda guy, but he was also very respectable to me. I don't know if that was because I was his best friend's wife or because that's how he was towards women. Whatever the reason, I trusted Randy enough to know that he wouldn't ask me to take her out and then go too far with her on the first date.

When we had finished those round of drinks, Steph and Jay decided to head home. They knew the babysitter had probably fallen asleep so they needed to be getting back home leaving John and I alone in that back booth. What was earlier a big, loud group of 12 people was now taken down to just the two of us. We hugged Jay and Steph goodnight and watched them leave. Now it was just John and I, the first time we had been out together in a long time. I had been sitting with John's arm across my shoulder so I leaned in towards him and yawned. It was getting late and we should probably have been leaving soon.

When I got up and looked at John, I couldn't believe that I had ever been so angry with him. He was smiling back at me and his blue eyes were staring right back into mine. I asked him if we should be leaving soon, but he told me that he wanted to show me something first. Curious me, had to ask what it was, he laughed and reached into his pocket. He told me he knew it was a couple months short of our one year wedding anniversary but with everything we had been going through lately, he thought he should get me something nice to make up for all the fighting. I didn't even see what it was before I wrapped my arms around his body. He laughed and told me to atleast tell him if I liked it before getting all emotional.

I opened the velvet case and inside was a sparkling pair of diamond earrings. They were similar to the ones I had asked him for when we were dating, but at the time he couldn't afford to buy them for me. I didn't mind, I mean they were just earrings and I didn't need him to buy me expensive things to show me that he loved me. I had totally forgotten about them around the wedding time and I couldn't believe he had remembered I had asked for them. I cried thinking back to that time, it seemed like so long ago when we were dating. Even though it was only a year ago that we had announced our engagement after three years of dating each other. Everyone had known it was coming, they all knew we would eventually get married and urged us to hurry up and do it already.

I remembered when we told his parents, they were so thrilled. His mom was like a second mother to me, she always had been and it always felt like home whenever I came over. Whether we cooked together or she let me come over for dinner to eat her delicious homemade lasagna. I loved her from the first time I met her and I loved her to be my mother in law. She loved me the same way, since she was a mother of 5 sons, having a first daughter in law in the house was a big change. Instead of running around the house with footballs, she finally had someone to help her in the kitchen. John's dad was also lots of fun, he would always joke around with me and was pretty open to the idea of John and I being together, despite the age gap between us.

I looked back up and John, he was smiling back at me again. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. He started laughing and asked if I did like them, I kissed him. Obviously I loved them, they were gorgeous! After a couple minutes, I told him we really should get home now. We left the club hand in hand, and then I remembered that Jasmine and Randy were still here. I told John that we should probably let them know we're leaving and he said that he'd go and I should just go sit in the car. I took the keys and went out to the car. I turned on the radio and closed my eyes while waiting for John to come back out.

Inside, John had found his way to the back rooms. The rooms were filled with a mini bar, a big leather couch and candles. John checked the first three rooms and there was no Randy or Jasmine. When he got to the fourth room, he could hear Jasmine laughing. He didn't wanna walk in on them so he just knocked. He heard her stop laughing and walk towards the door. When she opened the door, he saw her hair was a mess. Randy was lying down on the couch and had a big red lipstick mark on his forehead. He was also rebuckling his belt. John stood at the door wide mouthed, he covered his eyes and laughed. Jasmine went bright red when she saw who was at the door. She answered the door wearing Randy's black dress shirt. She covered herself up with it and stood there silently. Randy, noticing that his best friend was at the door, jumped up. John knew exactly what was going on, so he just left. He walked right out of the club with a big smile on his face. _Just wait till I see them tomorrow_, he thought to himself laughing. I saw him coming outside and wondered why he had the big smile on his face. He opened the door and sat down, still laughing. When I asked him what was so funny, he told me this was gonna be a very lucky night for Randy...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

When John and I got home that night, he made me wait outside the door before going inside. He handed me his jacket to wear while he went inside and made me wait out in the cold. At first I thought he was joking but when he actually closed the door and I could hear him running around, I was wondering what he was doing in there. I could see that he had turned off the lights inside and there was just a few dim lights. Then again, the peep hole on the door didn't work so well when looking inside. As I waited for him outside, a warm breeze came over me. It was so nice, not something you'd expect at nearly 1 in the morning. I heard him coming towards the door and finally he opened it and slipped out. For a few seconds he stood just looking at me until I finally broke him and asked if we could go inside. He told me we could, but I had to go in blindfolded. I thought this was ridiculous but I knew he was up to something. When he opened the door, I could feel one of his hands on my back and one in my left hand. Stepping in, I heard him ask if I was ready to see what he had done. He untied the blindfold and the entire room was so beautiful.

It was a scene out of a movie, the entire room was lit by tiny white candles. They were placed all around the room and trailed from the door to the living room. There were also flower petals leading into the living room. The flower petals were both red and white and when we got into the living room, I saw that there was a bottle of red wine. In the middle of the living room, there was a big red and white picnic blanket set up with candles and petals all around. We sat down on the blanket and John told me he'd be right back. He had put out the picture of us on our wedding day, the one from the bedroom, on the coffee table. I was so overwhelmed by this, we hadn't had a night to ourselves since the early months of our marriage and when we were dating. There simply wasn't any time, he worked most of the week and the days he didn't, we'd be fighting and go to bed angry at each other.

As I sat there waiting for John, I noticed that there was a message on my cell phone. It didn't catch my attention too much because I heard John's footsteps coming towards me. When I saw him, he had his hands full of goodies. Strawberries and white chocolate, glasses for the wine, a bouquet of flowers, a movie, pillows and our wedding album. I laughed as he tumbled all these things over to me. He placed the wine glasses on the table next to the bottle, and handed me the bouquet. He put our wedding album down on the table and put the dvd on top of it. He set up the pillows against the back of the couch and sat down next to me. He gave me a quick kiss and then put the flowers in the vase he had placed there earlier, then he reached for the wedding album and dvd.

He asked me if I wanted to watch the movie, which was The Notebook, or look through the album. I told him that I didn't mind which one we did first, and he suggested we do both. He got up and popped the dvd in and turned it on, along with handing me the album. We looked at our wedding photos, we had very little light because it was only from the candles, but it was enough for us both to cuddle up together and look at them. John rested his cheek against my shoulder and whispered into my ear, _"Thank you for giving us a chance, baby. Thank you for making everyday that much better." _He leaned in to kiss me once more, but this time letting his lips linger on mine, and letting me stop it. When I let go, our eyes met and it was one of those moments where you don't even have to say I love you, because you know the other person is thinking it. You can see it through their eyes, and I could see it through John's that night. I asked him what had changed since the other night when we were fighting and he said that after him and Randy had left the police station, Randy had talked to him. He told him to fix everything with our marriage before I got sick of it all and left. Turns out I was right about Randy, he really was looking out for the best interests of his friend. He was an all around good guy and I owed him for this. We put the album down and cuddled closer together to watch the movie, drinking the wine and enjoying the company of each other.

After about an hour into the movie when John and I were completely wrapped up in the other, I heard a pounding on the front door. Pausing the movie and looking at my watch, it was just after 2am. Who could be at the door at this hour? I got up to answer it but John beat me to it, he told me to stay in the living room so he could see who it was. I sat back down on the blanket and listened to the voice at the door.

To my surprise, it was Steph. I ran out to the door and couldn't believe what I saw. Steph was standing there, with sleeping Robbie in her arms. Her eyes were all red and you could tell she had been crying. I took Robbie from her and handed him to John, who took him into one of the bedrooms. I took Steph's bags from her and put them on the floor. Taking her hand and bringing her into the living room, I asked her what had happened. Wiping her tears off her face with my hands, she didn't say anything. I could tell something big had happened because usually Steph would open up to me but tonight, she just kept looking at the floor.

John came back out from the bedroom and saw that Steph had started crying again. He went into the kitchen and grabbed her some tissues. I held Steph in my arms trying my best to make her stop crying and tell me what had happened. I rocked her for a few more minutes, while looking at John for support. He sat down next to Steph and talked to her, letting her know that we were both here for her and wanted to help her in any way we could. Finally, she blew her nose and spoke. I didn't bring up the huge slashes she had on her forehead and cheek, but I listened to her.

She told us that when Jay and her had gotten home, he had been alot drunker than he had acted at the club. She had gone to drop the babysitter off at home and then came back to check on Robbie. Jay had sat down infront of the television and had another beer. She had gone into the kitchen to clean up when Jay came up behind her. He started blowing in her ear and kissing it while she washed the dishes. She told him she didn't feel like it and really just wanted to get to bed. She still had to change and clean up after Robbie, she wasn't in the mood to make love with Jay tonight.

Jay didn't really listen to her and brought his hand up the side of her leg, she pushed him away and he got really mad. Since he was drunk, he wasn't acting like his usual self. He was a lousy, angry, loud drunk which is why he didn't drink often. He came back at her and slapped her in the face. She dropped the glass that she was washing, onto the kitchen floor. She looked at him wide eyed, not believing he had just raised a hand at her. He started yelling at her, saying how she was a horrible mother, a horrible wife and a horrible daughter. Steph knew he was drunk so she just walked away but he didn't let her. He hit her in the head, so hard that she fell to the ground and cut her head on the glass. Which would explain the cuts on her forehead and cheek. When Jay saw that she was bleeding, he got mad and went into the bedroom. When she heard he was in the shower, she packed a bag of hers and Robbie's clothes, grabbed her son from his sleeping bed and drove away.

On her way, she had called my cell phone and I hadn't answered it. That must've been the message left on it. As she drove, she didn't know where to go. She decided they could spend the night at a motel so she drove out of Rochester right to a Syracuse motel. When she pulled into the parking lot, she found it was pouring rain and the motel was completely full. So she drove 30 mins back to Rochester and didn't know where else to come but my house. I told her that she should've just come here first, and she told me that she didn't want to wake us up or cause any trouble. John got up half way through to get Steph some ice to help the swelling go down.

When she finished, John was quite furious at Jay. He couldn't believe one of his best friends could even think of laying a hand on his innocent wife, drunk or sober. He grabbed his coat and keys and went towards the door. I rushed towards him and told him not to go just yet. Jay was probably still drunk and I didn't want them to get into a fight when Jay wasn't himself. He could go in the morning to talk to Jay. He finally agreed and came back inside. We came back to the living room and I sat down next to Steph. John hugged her and assured her that he would deal with this, if not now then definitely tomorrow morning. I reached out to touch Steph's face, but she moved away before my finger got too close. They weren't really bleeding, they were just swelling up.

The three of us sat silent for a few moments when suddenly the litte toddler came sleep walking out to the living room. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, not knowing where he was, he came up and sat on my lap. At first he didn't recognize me but when he opened his eyes he was shocked to see I wasn't his mom. Then he looked around and saw John, and then his mom. He asked her if she had hurt herself and why she was bleeding. She cried and told him she had hurt herself when she was cleaning. He was still tired so he asked Steph if she was going to sleep with him and she told him she'd be there soon. He went over to John and they went back to the bedroom to tuck him in again. I kissed Steph's forehead and told her not to worry about anything, John would handle it all in the morning and whatever happened, everyone was here for her.

She hugged me and John goodnight and thanked us for being so understanding.She apologized for ruining our night together but I told her it wasn't the concern here. Taking her bags into the bedroom, she looked back at us once more before closing the door. I breathed a deep sigh and looked over at John. I could tell he was still angry with Jay for even laying a hand on her. I told him to go to bed and just take it easy before he went and killed Jay for doing this to one of our best friends. He agreed, but helped me clean up the candles and everything. When we were finished, we went to bed.

We would deal with all this in the morning, and we would make sure Jay found out exactly what he had done...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Early Saturday morning after being up till just after 3 am, I was awoken by the tiptoes of little Robbie. I had awoken when he first opened the door to my bedroom but I didn't open my eyes. I could feel him watching me and finally he whispered "Tashy," which is what he called me ever since he began talking. I opened my eyes and saw him looking back at me. When I asked him what was wrong, he said his mom was gone and he couldn't find her. I woke up John and told him to stay with Robbie while I went to find Steph. He asked how I knew where to look, and I told him that I was her best friend, how wouldn't I know where she is?

John got up and went into the bathroom while I took Robbie over to the television and turned on some cartoons for him to watch while John was in the bathroom. He asked if he could come and I told him that I would be back soon and his mom wouldn't want him outside catching another nasty cold. He seemed to understand so I left him in the living room. I knew John would make Robbie breakfast and entertain him while I was gone to find Steph.

When I got into my car I knew exactly where she had gone. Whenever Steph got upset, she always went down to the docks and stood by the water. She had sailed alot when she was younger so the docks were one of her favourite places to be. She loved looking out onto the water and just thinking about whatever it was that was bothering her. The docks were about half an hours drive from my house so by the time I got there, she had been out there a long time.

I found her sitting on the edge, looking down into the water. She was so deep in thought she didn't even hear me come up to her. When I started talking, she just looked at me as if she didn't even recognize me. I reached out and hugged her, because I knew she needed it. She was frozen, her arms felt numb to the touch. She was wearing only a thin sweater so I handed her my coat. Wrapping it around her shoulders, I lead her over to my car. It was still warm, so I turned on the heat and we sat and talked. I had picked up some coffee on my way and handed her a cup.

After a couple of moments of waiting, I asked her what was really going on. She looked at me as if I had read her thoughts, and opened her mouth to speak. I could tell that she hadn't slept all night and was exhausted. She started by asking me where Robbie was, and I told her he was at my house with John. She nodded her head, as if she had forgotten that she had been there all night. What was happening to my Steph? Why was she acting this way?

When I looked over at Steph again, I felt as if she was in a completely different world than me. She wasn't talking, she wasn't listening she was just looking out the window totally absorbed in her own thoughts. I reached over and took her hand in mine, I could feel the icy coldness of her fingers and tried warming them with mine. I asked her how long she had been out here and she said early this morning, she hadn't been able to sleep and since she knew Robbie was in good hands, she felt it was safe to get some time to herself. I agreed, and I assured her she was allowed to drop Robbie off anytime she felt like she needed a break. She thanked me for coming all the way down here but she really just wanted to be alone and think for awhile.

As I looked at Steph, I knew she was in no condition to be alone. I suggested we go get something to eat and maybe talk about what's been going on with her. She thought this was a good idea but I could tell she was nervous. I don't know why she would be nervous about talking to me, we've been friends for years now and knew each other inside and out. I drove out to the local pancake house, and we sat down to eat. I could tell Steph was really hungry because she started eating her pancakes right away.

I was a little hesitant to ask again what was wrong but I knew I had to get the truth out of her somehow. Before I was about to ask her, she started talking. She told me that she hadn't slept in what felt like weeks. She had been so depressed about her life that she had actually started taking anti depressant pills. I couldn't believe what she was telling me! My best friend, taking pills to cheer herself up? It sounded terrible.

I asked her how long she had been taking these pills and she told me it had been a little under 3 months now. I sat there speechless, not knowing the exact thing to say to her. Things were usually the other way around, she was usually the one giving me advice. I asked her what was so wrong with her life that she felt she needed a pill or two to make it through the day. She took a sip of her juice and then told me everything.

It started when Robbie was born, she had been on them after she had him because she felt overwhelmed by the feeling of motherhood. Knowing that a child was going to be depending on her all the time to look after it, feed it and bathe it, was alot to handle. She also told me that everything that had happened with Jay, before they got married had taken a huge toll on her life. After dating him for nearly 8 months, she found out he had cheated on her with one of his ex girlfriends from high school. I knew this already and I was the one that had talked to Jay about it after it had happened. Well, after she had found out he had cheated on her, she was already two weeks pregnant with Robbie. This was a really confusing time because even though she didn't comepletely trust Jay again, she didn't want her baby to grow up fatherless. So she married Jay when she was nearly three months along.

Six months later, she delivered her own little bundle of joy. Her beautiful son Robbie was the one thing that kept her going through everything. She really did live for that little boy. Even though Jay had apologized and regretted his mistake, she still didn't completely trust him. It took her nearly two years to forgive him and that was when she agreed to go to Cuba with Jay for their anniversary. When she got back, she was more thrilled to see her son then anything else.

Throughout her entire marriage, she had always felt like she had to be married to Jay rather than choosing to be. She knew that Jay was a great father to Robbie and she loved him for treating their son so amazingly. But she always wondered how different her life would have been if she had married someone else, but I always reminded her that this was in the best interest of Robbie and when he was a little older, maybe then you could think about being with someone else. She agreed and decided to try and work on the marriage.

Steph told me that when the pills didn't work, she kept taking more and one night actually overdosing. She never intended to try and kill herself, she had just wanted the pain to stop. That was one of the nights that Robbie had come over to my house with Jay and Steph was at home, supposed to be cleaning. After a couple hours, I got bored at home because the boys were all watching a football game so I went over to check on Steph.

When I got there, I noticed the door was left unlocked so I walked in trying not to scare her. I called out her name but didn't hear a response. I knew she was home because her car was out in the driveway and her shoes were by the door. Going up the stairs, I kept calling for her but still no answer. Walking through the rooms I still couldn't see Steph. I started getting worried because I knew she was here, but I didn't know why she wasn't answering me.

When I got into her bedroom, I heard her drop something. I went to see her and I saw her lying on the floor. I ran towards her and helped her sit up. When I saw what was in her hands, I screamed. Sleeping pills? They were spilled all over the bathroom floor. What was going on, I asked her. I gave her a glass of water and brought her over to the bed. She didn't say anything at first and I tried shaking her so she would know where she was, but she was in this weird daze.

She was looking at me but I could tell she didn't really know what she was doing. I asked her how many pills she had taken and she tried showing me with her fingers. When she ran out of fingers, I was blown away. I picked up her coat and bag and drove her right to the hospital. On the way I called Jay and let him know what had happened. He said this wasn't the first time and that he'd be there soon. He didn't sound too surprised and this pissed me off but I didn't worry about it. My best friend had overdosed on sleeping pills and I was more worried about that than what her husband had to say about it.

When we got to the hospital they made me wait for hours in the waiting room. I was getting totally irritated with this redhead nurse who kept asking me if I wanted any coffee. After the fourth time I told her to get lost and leave me alone, I was already worried as it and she wasn't helping. When Jay got there, he asked me what had happened. I sat down with him on the couch and explained everything that happened when I got there.

As I talked, he nodded his head and looked down at the ground. I didn't know what to do, why wasn't he as upset as I was? Then he told me that this was the third time Steph had tried this. Once after Robbie was born and once when he had started going to school. Why didn't he tell me this before? He said that she didn't want me to know about the pills, and had asked him specifically to keep it from me. Well that was stupid, I thought. I would've helped her instead of having to take her to the hospital.

After what was a long three hours, Steph's doctor appeared in the waiting room. He told us that they had pumped Steph's stomach and she was sleeping right now. She was lucky this time because she hadn't overdosed but she had taken way too many pills. He also warned us both that if she took too many pills again, she might not even wake up. I held Jay's hand because I could see the hurt in his eyes, he still wouldn't look up at the doctor. I asked if we could go see her, and the doctor agreed but warned us not to make too much noise.

Walking into her room, I was still holding Jay's hand. He was more worried about her than I had ever seen him. We saw her laying in the hospital bed, looking so pale and sick. She wasn't awake yet, so Jay and I went and sat down to watch her sleep. After nearly 20 minutes, I could see he had started crying. I went over and hugged him, assuring him that Steph would be okay and that this wasn't going to happen again because we were all going to be here for her. For a couple of minutes, he just cried on my shoulder.

I could tell he needed a break, so I suggested we go down to the hospital cafeteria to get something to eat and maybe talk. Since both Jay and Steph were older than me, I always considered both of them as family. Jay was definitely an older brother to me and I looked up to him in so many ways. Steph was always more than a sister because we had been friends for so long. I had seen her through so many things in her life, both her best and worst.

We got downstairs and Jay told me that he had asked Steph for a divorce that night and when she went into her bedroom crying, he didn't know what to do. He came over that night to my house to try and talk to me, but he didn't know how to bring it up so he just hung out and watched football with John. I asked him why he wanted a divorce from Stephanie and he told me that he didn't feel that she loved him. He didn't want to spoil her life and make her stay married to him so that Robbie had a father. He had tried talking to her but she thought he was being ridiculous and walked away. He also felt like it was his fault she had taken the pills, because he had told her he wanted the divorce. Again, I hugged Jay and let him know that it wasn't his fault. Steph must've just been upset and not known what else to do. She did love him and one day, she would show him that they were meant to be together.

After an hour of talking, I realized Jay was a completely different guy than who I had made him out to be. He was even more caring and loving than I knew. Even though he knew in the beginning that Steph didn't love him, he loved her in every possible way that he could. I felt so bad for him, as if he was on the losing end because he knew one day Steph would leave with his son and marry someone she really cared about. He didn't mind though, he just wanted her to be happy and let him see his son. I reassured him that Steph would definitely let him see Robbie. We decided to go back upstairs and check on Steph.

Walking into her room, I saw she was awake. Awake and moving around. She was packing her bags and getting ready to leave. She said she had asked the doctor if she could leave and he agreed but warned her about the consequences of another O.D. She promised him she would not be seeing him again anytime soon. We helped her gather her clothes and drove back home.

The next week was hectic. Jay, John and myself took extra care of Steph and Robbie to make sure she didn't take the pills again and that Robbie knew that Steph wasn't on drugs, she was just sick. He seemed to understand and even brought her books, toys, candy and juice in bed. I think what really made Steph all better was knowing that her son was there with her, every step of the way.

--------------------

Thinking back to that night still sent chills up my spine, it was nearly a year ago now but it was still clear to my memory. Seeing Steph lying in that hospital bed was one of the worst things I've seen in my entire life. Looking back at Steph across the table, I noticed she was about ready to go home. We had already finished eating our pancakes when Steph finally started talking.

She explained that last night was her last straw. Being hit by Jay was one of the worst things that's ever happened to her. The worst part was, it wasn't the first time. Jay had hit her a couple times before, and she had kept quite because she didn't want everyone to know that Stephanie McMahon was being beaten by her husband.

I told her it wasn't something that she needed to be embarassed about. It wasn't her fault and it's not like she was the only one going through it. Millions of women were beaten by their husbands everyday. She told me that she was done being hit by Jay and finished with their marriage. She had gotten the divorce papers early this morning on the way to the docks and was going to show him tonight. I asked her if that was such a good idea, he might get angry and hit her. She then asked me if they could all come over for dinner tonight so atleast if he did try to hit her, John was there. I thought this was a better idea than to have her alone with Jay. As much as I loved Jay, I was disgusted with his idea of beating his wife. It was such an old fashioned way of handling your wife, and running the household.

I dropped her back at the docks so she could bring her car back and told her to meet me at her house, so we could pick up some more of her stuff. I was pretty sure she wasn't planning on staying home tonight and would be spending the night at my place. She agreed and we drove off. On the way to her house, I called John and let him know what was happening. He was even more pissed than he was last night, and he told me that he couldn't wait for Jay to show up tonight. It was time for Jay to be on the receiving end of those punches he laid on Steph. He'd be sorry, that's for sure ...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Pulling into Steph's driveway, I saw she wasn't here yet. I also looked around for Jay's car incase he hadn't gone to work, but he had. A couple minutes later, Steph pulled in and opened the front door for us. When we got inside, I saw the mess they had made in the kitchen. Steph's blood was all over the white tiled floor, along with pieces of glass. There was also a rag covered in blood. I couldn't believe how much blood was on the floor, no wonder Steph couldn't really recognize me last night. Look at all the blood she had lost!

We went into the bedroom and started packing some of Steph's belongings. Her clothes, shoes, books, photos, make up and her laptop. We also went into Robbie's room and packed his clothes, toys and books. Once everything was loaded into both of our cars, we went back inside the house to get Steph's dog, Holly. She was a two month old yorkie and was the cutest little thing. Steph would tie ribbons and barrettes in Holly's hair to make her all pretty. She was the most spoiled dog I'd ever seen. When Holly and her things were packed, we went back inside once more to check if we had left anything behind.

When Steph went back into her bedroom, she couldn't help but cry at how empty the place looked. It was left with only Jay's things and she just couldn't help but think about how she would be without him. But, we did know this day would come and as much as I loved Jay, I didn't like him so much for hitting Stephanie. She went over to the bed and made it for him, since he had left it open. She also went into his closet and took one of his old shirts that she loved. She raised it up to her nose and breathed in his scent. It was the shirt that he slept in, and the one she usually stole from him. She decided to take it home and steal it for good this time.

She went through each bedroom and did this. In each room, she saw a little bit of the life she and Jay had built for themselves. Even though both of them were pretty well off, financially, they lived a very regular life. They didn't have a maid or a cook or too fancy cars. True, she was the heir to a billion dollar company but she didn't let that reflect on who she was.

When she was ready to go back to my place, we drove our own cars because Steph had taken so many of her things. Not that I minded, I loved having Steph stay with me and I wasn't too happy about her relationship with Jay at the moment. I called John again to check on Robbie, John told me that he was watching Sponge bob and eating Fruit Loops. I pulled into my driveway, since Steph's house was less than 10 minutes from mine, we got there quickly. This time she beat me to it.

I called John out to help us with some of their things and when everything was loaded out of the cars, we moved everything into the biggest spare room. Robbie was thrilled when he saw Steph and they hugged for quite a while. Robbie was so happy his mom was back, that he jumped right into my arms and I carried him inside. When we got inside, he was confused why all of his things were at my house. He watched John, his mom and I carry in everything and eventually pulled me down to his level and asked what was going on. I asked him if he would like to stay with me for awhile and he seemed to be excited by that idea. He usually loved coming over but I was pretty sure eventually he'd want to go back home.

When we were finished, Steph asked Robbie if he wanted to go to McDonald's and he agreed, so they left. Steph had wanted to try and explain what was going on to him, so she thought this was a fairly good way of telling him. After they were gone, John and I decided to do something fun together. He suggested we go take a bubble bath and just relax before dinner but I thought it was too early for that. It was like 3pm and way too early in the day to sit and relax. He asked if I had a better idea and of course I did. I picked up the phone and called a random number. Prank calls were one of mine and John's favourite things to do so after dialing the number I handed him the phone. We spent the rest of the afternoon calling random people and being cursed at by total strangers.

Meanwhile, Jasmine was getting ready for her big date with Randy. She had been planning it all night and even though her and Randy had gotten quite close the night before, she couldn't help feeling a little excited to see him again. After all, he was a great kisser! She had made plans with Randy to go out to dinner tonight around 6 and later for a walk on the beach. When she had finished taking her shower and washing her hair, she heard the telephone ringing. Running to grab it, she found out it was Randy. Laughing as he teased her over the phone, she melted to his voice. It was so deep, manly and sexy. She wanted him, and he knew she wanted him.

He gave her little details about the evening to come and told her to wear something sexy. He had this way with her, he could make her do anything, anytime he wanted her to do it. He wasn't pushy or controlling, he was just so sexy. The way her name rolled off his tongue, the way he laughed and his eyes twinkled, just everything about him was perfect. She loved the way his hands caressed her back and neck as he kissed her that night in the club. How his arms were so strong and muscular, how he knew exactly what to say to her to get her heart beating. She couldn't wait to be with him later that night, and she couldn't wait to taste his sweet lips again. To feel his wandering hands all over her body, it was something she had only dreamt about. Putting down the phone, she ran to dry her hair. She had two hours to get ready, but she wanted to drop by my place first to check on Steph.

Around 6 that night, I got a call from Jay. He seemed to sound exhausted and a little cranky, but he assured me he couldn't wait to see Steph and Robbie, to finally talk to her. I told him John was going to barbeque steaks for dinner. He sounded a little nervous of seeing John after everything that had happened, but I promised him John wasn't upset with him. I was in my bedroom talking to Jay when Steph came in and asked if I had a minute. I let Jay go since he was only about 30 minutes away from my home.

Turning to Steph, I could tell she was a little hesitant about him coming over. She sat down on my bed and asked if she was making the right decision. I don't know if my opinion would help in this matter, because if she was going to hand him the papers, she had already made up her mind. I listened to her speak, and tried my best to help her out. I knew she did love Jay, after all they had been together for over five years now. But after what happened Friday night, she wasn't completely trusting him yet. I knew deep down she didn't want to divorce him, but she felt like there was no other way. She didn't want to go through another abusive relationship, and she was sick of hearing Jay put her down.

I tried my best to comfort her and let her know that even though I loved her and Jay dearly, I didn't agree with him hitting her. It was old fashioned and just wrong, plus she was a grown woman and the mother of his child, his only child. Around 6:15 Jasmine showed up to see us, and wait for Randy. They had agreed to meet at my place because Randy had wanted to talk to me and since Jasmine was coming over anyway, it made sense to meet at the same spot. So when she showed up, Steph and her sat in the living room to talk. I was helping John outside with the barbeque since Jay was going to show up any minute. John had his cute apron on, the one that said Kiss The Chef and as soon as he saw me, pointed to it. I laughed at him and went over to kiss him. I was so happy now, I felt like we were finally going to make this work.

I hugged him and went back inside because it was kinda cold outside, and I wanted to see if Randy had showed up yet. Just as I was going inside, he opened the door and nearly hit me in the face. I stepped away fast enough not to get knocked onto the grass, and he laughed and brought me back inside. I had no idea what he wanted to talk about but it must be important because whenever Randy did want to talk, it was usually big news. I went into the kitchen and he sat down on one of the counter stools, and just watched me for a while. When I finally couldn't wait any longer, I made him spit it out.

He breathed deeply and came over to me, so close I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. It was just the two of us in the hot kitchen, Steph and Jasmine were out in the living room so they couldn't see us. He came up behind me and rested his head on my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist. He smelled like after shave, like he usually did. I could feel myself starting to sweat as I tried to break free of his hold. It wasn't tight or anything, he was just stronger than me. I listened to him speak as he whispered into my ear, so close I could feel his lips moving against my ear. He asked me if I could ever love him and I didn't really understand the question because I answered by saying I already did love him. He laughed quietly and asked me again, and this time I understood because he started kissing my neck, then my cheek, then my chin and finally my lips. It felt strange, it felt cold and it felt wrong.

I pulled away from him and ran out to the living room. Finally realizing what had happened, I tried to not look at him as he came after me. I brought out coffee for Steph and Jasmine on a tray, and I nearly dropped it as I walked over to them. I didn't like Randy that close to me, and I didn't like him touching me that way. First, I was married to one of his best friends and second, he was dating one of mine. The more I thought about it, I assumed he was just joking with me and so I let it pass.

Just a little after 6:30, Jay knocked on my door. I answered it holding four trays of food. He laughed at me and grabbed the top two. I hugged him briefly while holding the trays, and we went inside. John came back inside from outside to greet Jay. Although he was still a little steamed at Jay, he had been friends with him for over 10 years now and they still were the best of friends. I knew there would come a time when John would finally talk to Jay about all this, but it wasn't tonight.

Soon afterwards, I was alone in my bedroom and I was looking for an old photo album from high school. Steph wanted to look through it and I decided it would be a good way to cheer her up. So as I went upstairs and closed my door, I could hear footsteps coming behind me. I thought it must have been Jasmine because she told me she would be up in a moment, but when I turned around it was Randy.

I had sort of forgotten what had happened to us in the kitchen and brushed it off. I asked him what he wanted and he told me he wanted me. Such a typical answer, I thought. I rolled my eyes at him and went to my closet. He sat down on my bed and watched me. Just as I knelt down, I looked over at him. He was smiling, and he was giving me this look of curiousity. He got up and started looking through my stuff, he went over to my dresser and looked at an old picture of me and John at a football game. He asked me how long we had been together now and I told him it had been about four years now.

He seemed to not care about what I was saying. I sat watching him silently, he was a very curious guy if you watched him closely. The way he looked at everything and took it in, very carefully. Anyway, he started walking over to me holding a photo. This was the picture of John and I at his Dad's house, posing with all of his brothers. It was one of my favourite photos becuase it was the first Christmas I had spent with John's entire family. I loved each one of his brothers dearly and absoloutely adored his parents.

As Randy brought it over to me, he asked me another question. This time he said it alot slower, alot more careful, as if he was picking his words very precisely. He asked me how long I thought John would be around for as he came behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist again. I looked at him oddly and pushed him away playfully, but I soon realized this was no joke.

I panicked, and tried to run away. I couldn't get loose from his grip. I could hear myself screaming but the words would not come out of my mouth. I didn't know this side of Randy, and I didn't like it. It was vicious, agressive and controlling, the total opposite of the Randy I knew. He grabbed me and pinned me up against the wall. Pushing himself towards me, holding me up he leaned in and kissed me. Alot rougher and harder, alot more painfully. He had my hands pinned above my head and my legs were wrapped around his waist. I didn't know what to do, all I could do was pray that John would not come up here to see this. I tried looking over at the door, but I couldn't turn my head away. I waited for him to let me go, even though he was kissing me and holding my hands, he was wandering my body with his hands. I waited, and eventually heard footsteps.

He let go of my hands, almost as instantly as the door opened. All I could do was wait ...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Randy had dropped me down by now. I could tell he was embarassed when he saw who it was because he started mumbling. Of all the people to walk in on us, it was his date for that evening, my best friend Jasmine. I fixed my top because Randy had unbuttoned some of it, and looked away from her. There she stood, wondering curiously what we were doing. I pretended to continue looking for my photo album and Randy knelt down next to me. She came over closer to us and grabbed Randy's hand.

He was surprised, I wondered if she had even seen us kissing. I didn't think she did and I thanked God for not letting her see it. Randy stood up and went towards her, she started running her fingers over his lips and wrapping his arms around her waist. I looked over at him, and he was totally changed into the Randy I recognized. Not the one that had kissed me just now. I wondered what was going on with him, why would he kiss me for no reason? Without a word, they left.

I breathed a sigh of relief that my best friend had not killed me right then and there. I found the album and checked myself in the mirror. I didn't want anyone to suspect anything so I combed my hair and put a sweatshirt on top of my blouse. I noticed Randy had torn off one of the buttons and it was left hanging by a tiny thread. I went back downstairs and found another very odd scene in my living room.

There, on my living room sofa, was Jay and Stephanie kissing. I laughed as I came down the stairs and cleared my throat loudly. They looked over at me, and laughed. I was happy to see that they had somehow, worked things out and were now back to the romantic parts of their relationship. After all, Steph was sitting on Jay's lap and I hadn't seen that in a very long time. I looked around for John and I saw him outside, he waved to me and started walking back inside.

I saw Jasmine and Randy were in the kitchen, so I avoided that area. I let Jay and Steph continue what they were doing and looked around for Robbie. I called out for him but I couldn't hear him responding. I asked Steph and she told me he had gone outside to play with Holly. I saw John come back inside and I went over to him.

I leaned in to kiss him and he brings his face lower so I end up kissing his nose. He laughs and hugs me, he's cold from being outside and I can feel his numb fingers. He kisses my forehead and we stay holding each other till John feels warmer. It wasn't snowing or anything, but it was a really windy day and I could tell he hated being out there. But, being the big cook that he is, he had to be the one that barbecued everything. I see Randy and Jasmine come out of the kitchen and Randy flashes me a smile, I am still with John and I hold on tighter to him. Randy and Jasmine say their goodbyes and leave for their date.

I hear the door open and I look to see who it is, right away Robbie comes back in and he's crying. Steph runs over to him as if totally forgetting about Jay and picks him up in her arms. He manages to tell us that he fell while running after Holly and he hurt his knee. She lifts up the bottom of his pants and his knee is all bloody. I help Steph into the kitchen with him and showed her where the band aids were. I wiped off his knee and applied the colourful set of strips. Steph hugged him and talked to him and tried to make him stop crying. After a couple of minutes, and a lot of kisses, Robbie ran upstairs. I could always tell when Robbie cried, Steph felt a little guilty. She hated when he cried, she hated it even when he was a baby and didn't know any better. She hated it anytime and wished she could solve all his problems for him.

Looking over at my watch, it was nearly 7:00 pm. I closed the kitchen door and brought Steph over to the counter. I wanted to know what had happened with Jay and she told me that she had found out she was pregnant. I was amazed, I didn't even know they were trying again. I hugged her and asked her how long she had known for, and she told me it was less than two weeks. That's why she had been out at the docks, she couldn't decide if she had wanted to tell Jay or get an abortion. I knew Steph had always wanted more children after Robbie. I asked her what Jay's reaction was and she asked me if she had seen what happened between them on the couch. I told her the news I hadn't shared yet, and she looked at me with a big grin. She laughed and we went back out to the kitchen, I couldn't wait to tell John my big news.

We got back out to the living room and I saw John bring all the food back inside. Jay was outside with him, holding all the trays. Steph and I sit down on the couch under the big blanket and instantly start giggling. The boys come back inside and wonder what the two of us are laughing about. We look at each other, and I go over and whisper my big secret to John. I was a little over three weeks pregnant now and I had just found out the night before. He couldn't believe it, his face dropped and he just laughed. He grabbed onto me and kissed me all the way down from my lips to my hands. He hugged me for so long I had to tell him to finally let me go. Then I told him Steph was pregnant too and he couldn't believe it. He hugged her and sat us both down on the couch. Jay watched as John tucked us both in under the blanket.

I assured him that we weren't even showing yet, and that the baby was about the size of a peanut right now. He told me this was the most delicate stage of it all and that I wasn't allowed to move for the next 9 months. Steph and I didn't really mind, it was nice to be taken care of. John and Jay served us both right there and brought us anything we asked for. When Robbie came down from playing with his toys, I picked him up and put him between Steph and me. I asked him if he would mind having a little brother or sister, and he told me that he would love to have someone to play with. Then I asked him if he would mind having two little friends to play with and he told me that that would be even better. I explained to him that his mommy was having a baby, and that I was also having a baby and he was so thrilled. He hugged me first and then he hugged Steph. He wanted to see the baby and I told him that the baby wasn't here yet.

He lifted up Steph's shirt and examined her stomach. He lifted up mine and told us they looked exactly the same. I told him that he would see a big change soon and to just wait. He was really happy, and asked me the magic question. He was cute and asked where babies came from. Right then John lifted him up and told him to come and get some jello. Steph and I laughed and hugged, this was so exciting. To go through a pregnancy with the one person I adored the most. The rest of the evening was spent talking about all this, and what to do when the baby came. Steph gave great advice, and told me a whole bunch of tips.

Back at Randy and Jasmine's date, they seemed to be hitting it off great. They had gone to a local restaurant with a dance floor so after they ate Randy asked to dance with Jasmine. She agrees and they make their way to the dance floor. At first it's a little uncomfortable because Randy is a lot taller than Jasmine and she can't really talk to him but they manage. Randy's hand finds Jasmine's and together they sway to the sweet sound of the music. Not saying a word, just enjoying the time together. After a couple of moments, Randy goes in for a kiss. He starts by kissing her hair, smelling it and taking in the sweet aroma of coconuts. He moves to her forehead, slowly moving downward to her lips. She can feel his lips easing closer to hers and she takes a deep breath.

Even though they had gone farther the other night, tonight she was a little nervous. His hand move down to her hips and she thinks to herself, what is he waiting for? Finally, his lips meet hers. The taste of his tongue is one that excites Jasmine, inside and out. She can feel herself wanting him again, wanting more than what she's been given. His tongue plays with her lips, tracing every inch of them. As if carefully memorizing them, he stops. She looks up at him and smiles. They realize it's time to go, time for the night they've been waiting for.

Randy leads Jasmine out the door into his car, his hand never leaving hers. He winks at her as he opens her door, and she smiles. He rushes over to the other side of the car and gets in. Immediately linking their fingers together, and driving off to the sandy beach where he had set up a beautiful evening by the ocean. When they reach the beach, Randy immediately offers Jasmine his coat, he knows its cold by the water, but as soon as she saw what he had done for her, she'd warm right up to him. Randy slipped off Jasmine's shoes and lifted her, carrying her along the sand. It was warm and soft against his toes and he couldn't to show her what he had done.

Putting her down, she stands still staring at the amazing scene he had put together for the two of them. There was a big blanket for the two of them to sit on, covered with so much food she couldn't decide whether to kiss Randy or go right for the big slice of chocolate cake. She saw there was also a letter and a box that had been wrapped with very cute wrapping paper. There was a stereo that was playing very slow, sweet music and a big bottle of champagne with two glasses. Before she had a chance to turn around, Randy came up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing his head down to her shoulder, he blew into her ear. She smiled and turned towards him. She loved the feeling of his body, so strong. She could stay holding him forever, it was safe and warm.

She kissed him, and this time showing him really how grateful she was. They sat down on the blanket and Randy unfolded the second blanket. It was smaller, but big enough for the two of them to snuggle under. They didn't have much light because it was late but they made it work. Jasmine wasn't sure if she wanted to bring up what had happened between him and me, but she decided to keep quiet and not ruin the moment. She thought maybe it was none of her business and it might upset Randy if she butted her nose into his business. They cuddled together under the blanket, Jasmine sitting with her back against Randy.

They laughed and shared the big slice of cake, Jasmine eventually getting it on Randy's nose. She laughed and then wiped it off. They opened the champagne bottle and Randy spilled some of it, they laughed at that. They had a great time together, and they genuinely liked being with each other. Jasmine liked being with Randy because he didn't judge her or laugh at her when she said something stupid, he just smiled and kept going. Randy liked being with her because she brought out a new side to him, a free, fun side and he loved listening to everything she said. She was so smart, he noticed. Everything she said was perfect, and always made him laugh. They both saw this going farther than a couple of dates, it was definitely developing into something serious.

The two spent the rest of the night laughing, drinking and kissing. After a while, Randy started moving lower. He moved from her lips to her neck, she loved this side of him. He was such a good kisser, he knew exactly what he was doing to her, and to himself. He started unbuttoning her top as he moved even lower, eventually kissing her chest. This was his favourite part of her, he loved the smell of her. He started to open the last button when she stopped him. Confused he stopped and looked up at her. He had unbuttoned his own shirt already, she ran her fingers up and down his chest and she felt every one of his muscles tighten as she did this. She stopped and sat up, rebuttoning her blouse and sitting up. She had remembered what she had seen between me and Randy.

She looked away from Randy and a single tear rolled down her face. Randy, noticing that she was beginning to cry, tried wrapping his arms around her and comfort her. She pulled away and looked out into the ocean. Randy breathed heavily and offered her a kleenex, he didn't know why she was crying but he knew she wasn't ready to tell him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek where one of her tears sat. Finally she spoke, and this time looking him right in the eye.

She began by taking his hand in hers. She didn't want to bring this up but she felt like she deserved to know. She asked him if he found her attractive and he felt confused, and told her that he found her more attractive than any other woman he'd ever met. She asked him if he found me attractive, and he stood up and looked out towards the ocean. She knew the answer to that question, she stood up next to him and hugged him from behind. She asked about what had happened upstairs at my house and he breathed deeply. How was he supposed to explain this to her? He breathed in heavily, she felt it with her hands as they rested upon his chest. She turned him towards her and asked for the truth.

He looked at her and explained that I had been after him for a long time now. She let go of him and stepped back. He continued by saying that I had tried seducing him in the closet with me and he thought it was what I wanted. Now Jasmine was confused, why would me, her best friend since high school, want her boyfriend when she was married? He continued to apologize and assure her that it would never happen again. She believed him, like she always did when he told her something, and she let it go. She would ask me later, right now she was busy making up for lost time with Randy. The two continued what they were doing, and eventually awoke the next morning still out on the beach.

Back at my place, Robbie had gone to bed and it was just the four of us downstairs. We talked about having kids, being married and if Jasmine and Randy would ever have kids together. Steph and Jay had decided to both spend the night here together, and then pack everything back home tomorrow. I was thrilled that they had made up and that everyone seemed happy. Around 11, Jay and Steph decided it was time for bed. They went upstairs while John and I stayed to pick up everything and clean up the living room. We weren't really tired but it had been a pretty long day, before going up we went into the kitchen.

I was washing all the dishes while John sat on the counter watching me. I laughed and threw some soapy water at him. He came back and threw some at me. It was so much fun, we hadn't done this in so long. We continued playing this and I eventually sprayed John with the sink hose. He laughed and grabbed it from me. I had turned it on and it sprayed both of us. This made us laugh even harder, I turned off the hose and put it back. We both stopped and looked at each other, John came in towards me to kiss me but slipped on some soap and fell flat on his butt. I laughed at him and he pulled me down next to him. We laughed even harder now, and kissed. It was so much fun to be able to play with him again, we hadn't done this much fun stuff together in months.

We decided to go upstairs and go to bed. We cleaned up the floor and ran halfway up the stairs when the phone rang. I went to answer it and John went upstairs. I laughed and answered it. I immediately stopped laughing and slid down against the wall to the floor.

This wasn't good news, at all ...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

**  
**Over the next couple of weeks, everything went back to normal. Steph and Jay packed up their stuff and moved back into their house. Randy and Jasmine continued to date without bringing up what happened between me and him. And me and John, well we were happier now than we had ever been. We were crazy about each other, and now with a baby on the way, he was even more loving towards me. He'd do all the house chores, pick me up anything from the grocery store and get me anything I ever wanted.

It was the beginning of December and since Christmas was around the corner, and we had so many different people to shop for, we decided to hit the malls early and get it all over with. For New Years weekend I had booked a night's stay in a penthouse for the two of us. I wanted to get away with John for a while now but since he works so many days of the week, I couldn't find time for the two of us. Plus with everything happening with Jay and Stephanie, it had completely slipped my mind.

One Monday morning, Steph and I decided to go shopping. The six of us had decided to get everyone regular gifts, but play Secret Santa and get a special gift for that person. With my good luck, I had gotten Randy. Even though by now we were speaking again and I had let the whole kiss thing pass, I was still a little nervous around him. Steph wouldn't tell me who she had gotten but I was sure I would find out soon. As we pulled into the parking lot of the mall, we talked about our Christmas plans. Since last year we had all spent Christmas together and Steph had made a big turkey for all of us, we had decided this year we would spend it with our own families. John and I were going to visit his parents, and his mom was going to teach me how to make the full dinner. Steph, Jay and Robbie were going to visit her parents and celebrate Christmas the traditional McMahon way. Randy and Jasmine had yet to figure out what they were doing.

Steph and I decided we were going to get Jasmine some nice lingerie for Christmas this year, to celebrate her new relationship with Randy. Also because Randy had asked us to get her a little something for him. We went into this little shop called Sweet Notions, since they were having a special sale for Christmas. I knew Jasmine's size because I had bought her lingerie a while back when she was dating Andrew. I liked to browse around and look at everything, but Steph went right for the satin slips. She picked up a long red satin robe with matching slip and thong. I laughed as she held it up and asked if this was a nice combination. I laughed and picked up the matching slippers and bra for it. We laughed and agreed Randy would enjoy these. We went up to the counter to pay for them all, when I had a great idea. Why should Randy be the only one enjoying this gift?

I went over to the men's pajama section and picked out some cute little boxers for Randy. I might as well get him something sexy for Secret Santa and let Jasmine enjoy some of him. I also picked up some flannel pajama bottoms amd a tee shirt for him. We left the store and headed down to the book store. I wanted to pick up Jasmine a copy of _A Million Little Pieces _by James Frey. Luckily, they had one copy left.

Now that Randy and Jasmine were crossed off my list, we decided we'd go look for Jay and John. I knew Jay had wanted an iPod but was too lazy to go get it himself, so I went to the big Best Buy and got him the Nano. I wanted to get Jay something a little more personal because of all that had happened lately, I thought it would make him feel a little better. Jay and I had a sort of secret bond you could say, we were quite close to each other. It wasn't a love relationship or anything, more like a brother sister kind. I laughed at all of his jokes and he always made me laugh till I couldn't even breathe anymore.

Since it was John and mine's first Christmas together as newlyweds, I decided that I had to get him something memorable. I thought alot about it and I knew he had always loved surprises. We had planned to head to his parent's house around the 19th of December, so I would have to do it sometime before then, that left me two full weeks of planning. I knew I would be able to do it, as long as John didn't suspect anything. I knew I would have to begin by blindfolding him or he would never believe me. I had decided to start with a carriage ride through the park, just the two of us, with nothing but trees and lights all around. Then I would take him back to the tree where we had carved our names into it on our first date.As the night progressed, we would walk along the street, arm in arm watching as the crisp, white snow fell all around us. We would go back up to the roof where I would set up a fabulous dinner for just the two of us. After we ate, we gaze at the stars lying next to one another.

When I told Steph about this, her eyes began watering. She told me it was such a romantic thought, and she wished her and Jay could do it. I told her that they should, but she said that they were both so busy and didn't have time to do all that. This gave me a great idea but I kept quiet about it because I didn't want Steph to think I was up to anything. I knew exactly how to give Steph and Jay the night they wanted, without interruptions.

So after a couple more hours of shopping, we had bought all of our gifts, except the ones for each other. I had bought Randy the boxers and pajama bottoms, Jasmine the bra and slippers to match Steph's gift for her, and Jay the iPod. I had picked up everything for mine and John's night out together and gifts for all of his family. It had taken me a very long time to find, but I finally found the perfect gift for his mom. It was a tiny heart locket made of white gold. Inside was a photo of the two of us together in the kitchen at her house. This was the first Thanksgiving I had with John's family before we got married, and when I had told John I loved him. We were so thrilled, she cried with me for over an hour. This was also the day she had told me she considered me a daughter. I had also found a very nice frame for the poem I had written her.

_A mother seems to specialize  
in doing thoughtful deeds,  
Before you ask she understands  
your problems and your needs._

Quietly she does her best to help,  
inspire and cheer, And everything looks  
brighter right away because she's near.

She always has a lot to do  
but still finds time to spare,  
To listen and to give advice  
because she really cares.

She helps because she wants to,  
she finds joy in being kind,  
And making others happy  
is the first thing on her mind.

She makes this world a better place  
by practicing the art, Of reaching out  
to others and by giving from the heart.  


For John's Dad, I had picked up Montecristo cigars and a new bottle of his cologne, Envy by Gucci. I also knew he needed a new watch, so I got him a new military watch. For each of his brothers was something different, depending on their interests. The eldest one, Mike enjoyed playing golf so I got him a little cooler in the shape of a golf bag. The youngest, Greg was a big football fan, so I picked up a jersey and cap for him. I also wanted to send Steph's Mom, Dad and brother something because they were like family to me too. For her Mom I was going to send flowers, along with a beautiful, wine red dress and scarf. For her Dad, I decided to get him an iPod like Jay's so he could have something to listen to. He was always complaining how the plane rides were long and boring, and how he needed something to kill the time. For her older brother, Shane I picked up a big Jessica Simspon as Daisy Duke poster and a Ralph Lauren polo. I had also picked out a few toys and some new clothes for Robbie. He had asked me for something called a Zippy. Luckily, the woman at Toys 'R' Us had an idea what I was saying to her. By the time we finally stepped out of the mall, it was getting late.

When I got home, it was very quiet. Since John had caught a flight early this morning to be in Chicago for Raw, I was all alone. I decided to have a shower and then come back to wrap all my gifts. I liked to do them early so I could get them out of the way. After I showered and put my pajamas on, I began wrapping everything very carefully. About half way through, I heard the phone ringing so I stopped and answered it.

I thought it must be John seeing how I was, but it wasn't. I was surprised to hear Randy on the other line, and he didn't sound too good. As a matter of fact, he was crying quite heavily. He asked me if I was able to come over and see him, I said I'd be there right away and I grabbed my keys and was out the door before he said another word.

When I got to his house, I could see the place didn't look too bad. It looked like it usually did, since Randy was a pretty clean guy. I saw him sitting on his bed and looking down at the ground rubbing his forehead. When he heard me come in, he looked up and sort of smiled. He looked like a mess, as if he hadn't slept in days. I went over to the bed and sat next to him, taking his hand in mine and asking what was wrong. He wouldn't tell me at first, he just kept saying he was sorry. He told me he was sorry for bothering me so late, for making me come all this way to see him and for kissing me that day at my house. I was surprised, I had completely forgotten about that kiss. I told him that I knew this wasn't about the kiss and if he was this worried about it then he was being silly.

He told me that he really appreciated me not making a big deal about it and again, that he was very sorry. He then began to explain what had been going on with him and boy, was I surprised. I remembered back to the other night when Randy had called me crying, explaining how his ex girlfriend Kim had called. She had told him she was having his baby and didn't want to take care of it. He continued by saying how he didn't know how to tell Jasmine about her, and how he wasn't ready to take care of his child.

Standing up, he looked down on me. He told me how he and Kim had dated very briefly for about four months. They had fooled around one night and had broken up the next day. Kim was a heroin addict, a heavy heroin addict and was used to living in shelters. Randy had felt so sorry for her, because she was only 20, and had no family. They had eventually grown closer and Randy had begged her to go to a rehab center to clean herself up before they got married. He had even boughten her a ring. She refused and hit him over the head with a wine bottle. That was his last straw, he told her to get out of his house and his life. Now here she was, calling him nearly six months later, saying she was pregnant with his child.

I felt so bad for him, he wasn't ready for this. I stood up and hugged Randy while he cried heavily on my shoulder. I felt so helpless and confused, I felt like this was my fault. Somehow I knew it was. Every so often I would wipe Randy's tears away and he would look at me with his sad, blue eyes and cry again. After about an hour, I noticed Randy had stopped crying. We were now sitting on the bed, with Randy's head on my lap. He looked up at me and brought his face up to mine. We didn't mean for it to happen, but it just happened. Randy leaned in to kiss me and I kissed him back. His lips were wet from the tears, and I could taste the saltiness of his tears. Was I doing the right thing? No, probably not. But I just couldn't help myself, I didn't want him to feel like he was. I wanted him to feel good and to stop crying.

Maybe I did want Randy that night. Maybe it was the biggest mistake of my life, but whatever it was .. it was good. It started out kind of slow, with just kissing each other. Then as hands started to wander and we lay down on the bed, emotion poured out from the both of us. I pulled Randy down with me to lay down on the bed and kissed him. He lay down on top of me and began slowly kissing my neck, every inch of it as if not wanting to miss a single spot. My hand was holding the back of his neck and unbuttoning his shirt. He reached up under my tee shirt and pulled it over my head. Blood rushes all over my body and I get this feeling of adrenaline in me that I don't want to stop.

I pull away for a second to clear my mind and see if this is all real or just another dream I am having. I suddenly think about what is happening and pull away. What am I doing? I think to myself. Here I am having John's baby and about to have sex with his best friend. It felt wrong, dirty and unexpected. I picked up my shirt from the corner of the bed and slipped it back on. I looked over at Randy who was now wearing a very embarassed expression on his face. I went over to him and apologized, while touching his face. It was wrong to do this to John, but so tempting.

Randy stood up and came towards me. He reached out and grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his lips. He kissed the face of my hand and then put my hand on his face. He thanked me for being here tonight with him and asked me if I could not tell John about this, I agreed. I didn't want him to know his best friend had almost gone the whole way with his pregnant wife. I hugged him once more and told him to call me tomorrow, after he talked to Jasmine. I left his house and went back to my house.

I felt so stupid. Here I was buying John's entire family gifts, having the child of a man I loved more than anything else in the world but yet, kissing his best friend. I went home and cried on my bed. Promising God, myself and John silently that I would never let this sort of thing happen again.


End file.
